Algae: An Alternative for a Greener Approach for the Synthesis of ZnO Nanostructures with Biological and Environmental Applications.

In this work, the influence of the alga extract on the morphological characteristics of synthesized ZnO nanostructures, with potential biological and environmental applications, was evaluated. For this purpose, different ZnO geometries were synthesized by the co-precipitation method, using alga extract as stabilizing agent. Four extract volumes (5, 10, 20, and 50 mL) were evaluated to obtain the different nanostructures. Moreover, a sample by chemical synthesis, without the addition of extract, was prepared. The characterization of the ZnO samples was carried out by UV-Vis spectroscopy, FT-IR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy. The results showed that the alga extract has a fundamental role in the stabilization process of the ZnO nanoparticles. In addition, it was shown that the increase in the alga extract leads to preferential growth and arrangement, obtaining well-defined shaped particles. ZnO nanostructures demonstrated significant anti-inflammatory response by the in vitro egg albumin protein denaturation for biological purposes. Additionally, quantitative antibacterial analysis (AA) showed that the ZnO nanostructures synthesized with 10 and 20 mL of extract demonstrated high AA against Gram (+) and moderate AA behavior against Gram (-) , depending on the ZnO arrangement induced by the alga extract and the nanoparticles' concentration (ca. 3200 µg/mL). Additionally, ZnO samples were evaluated as photocatalytic materials through the degradation of organic dyes. Complete degradation of both methyl violet and malachite green were achieved using the ZnO sample synthesized with 50 mL of extract. In all cases, the well-defined morphology of ZnO induced by the alga extract played a key role in the combined biological/environmental performance.